January 24, 2014 11:33pm ESTJanuary 24, 2014 3:46pm ESTKyle Busch and Brad Keselowski are two of NASCAR's most talented drivers, but they're also inconsistent. Which one will emerge as a title contender in '14? Bob Pockrass and Jeff Owens take sides in our head-to-head series.Brad Keselowski(AP Photo)

Jeff Owens and Bob Pockrass

Published on Jan. 24, 2014

Jan. 24, 2014

Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski are two of NASCAR’s most talented drivers.

They also are two of the most frustrating for their fans. Both are up one year and down the next — or sometimes that wild swing occurs during the middle of the season.

They also don’t like each other very much, having engaged in a long-running feud.

Keselowski, the 2012 champion, will be looking to bounce back after slumping and missing the Chase last year. Busch will be looking to take the next step after finishing a career-high fourth in points.

Can they both contend for the Sprint Cup title? And which one will have the better season?

Bob Pockrass — Keselowski

Keselowski seems to perform at his best when people start to doubt him. And there’s no doubt that there is a lot of doubting his consistency as he missed the Chase just one year after winning the Cup title. Throw in Ford’s struggles as a whole and Keseowski and his Team Penske group certainly won’t lack for bulletin board material heading into this season.

It’s not as if Keselowski hasn’t been down before — he’s not all that far removed from a disappointing rookie year in Cup. He knows that racing typically is a series of ups and downs. He won’t let frustration consume him, and he will come back strong in 2014.

One of the drivers to win during the Chase last year, Keselowski and crew chief Paul Wolfe are just too good a combination to not get right back into the fray for the title. Keselowski could very well be in the mix of the four drivers vying for the championship if the proposed Chase changes become reality.

If Busch is in it going into the final race, a one-race winner-take-all format favors him. But if Busch is not in the mix — and his Chase history tells us that there is a good chance he won’t be — Keselowski and his ability to thrive under pressure could make him a championship contender.

Jeff Owens — Busch

Count me among the doubters who are just not sure about Keselowski. I don’t question his talent; he’s a great driver. But there are questions about his team and the Penske organization.

Keselowski and his No. 2 team had a magical season in 2012, when everything went right and they made all the right moves. A year later, they didn’t get the breaks and nothing seemed to go right. A year after winning its first championship, Penske won just two races overall after the switch to Ford.

So which team is it? The one that nailed it in 2012? Or the one that couldn’t get out of his own way in 2013? They will have to answer that question this season.

Busch, meanwhile, is on an upward trend and starting to show the championship potential everyone has been waiting on. There is little doubt he will win races. But last year he showed a lot of patience and maturity in settling for top-five finishes on days when his car wasn’t fast enough to win. He also bounced back from early adversity in the Chase to produce his best points finish.

If he can continue to grow and sustain that momentum, Busch may be working toward a true championship run. And I agree that he would be tough to beat if he can get to the winner-take-all championship race.